Shabazz Muhammad

While Muhammadís numbers regressed across the board last season, he remains a key piece in Minnesotaís rebuilding process. The 23-year-old appeared in all 82 games, averaging 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. While he converted nearly 47 percent ...

Jeff Stotts describes what goes through his mind as he watches an NBA game from the perspective of an athletic trainer with the goal of preventing injuries like the one sustained by Wizardsí Bradley Beal last week.

Muhammad was a pleasant surprise for the Timberwolves in 2014-15 in the limited time he was available to play. In 38 games for Minnesota last year, the second-year player averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 three-pointers in 23 minutes per game. One of the most promising parts of Muhammad's sophomore campaign was his efficiency. He shot 49 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point-range, and 72 percent from the free-throw line. The Timberwolves have to be pleased with Muhammad's development coming off of a rookie season that saw him average less than four points per game. On the more negative side of things, injuries limited Muhammad in 2014-15, contributing to his 44 missed games on the year. Heading into the new campaign, Muhammad will face competition for the backup roles behind Kevin Martin and Andrew Wiggins. If Muhammad is able to carve out a role off the bench, he becomes an interesting deeper league candidate due to the scoring flashes he showed in limited time last season, as well as the efficient percentages he was able to put together doing it.

2014-15

Shabazz Muhammad endured a rough inculcation to the NBA in his rookie season. The former UCLA forward played sparingly (eight minutes per game), was sent down briefly to the D-league, and finished the season by spraining his MCL in April. Muhammed was able to play in the summer league for the Timberwolves and showed that he could score (16.2 points in five games). During his rookie season, Muhammad averaged just 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists, and 0.2 steals in 37 games. The 6-6 rookie converted 46 percent of his field goals, 27 percent of his three-pointers (0.1 long range shots per game), and 65 percent of his free throws. When given an opportunity, Muhammad showed that he could score. He averaged 24.5 points in four games with the Iowa Energy and put in a season-high 20 points in a February 25 win over the Suns (one of two games in which he played at least 20 minutes). While the small forward has the reputation of being a somewhat selfish player, he could provide the Timberwolves with some much needed offense off the bench if coach Flip Saunders (who drafted Muhammad) gives him more run.

2013-14

Minnesota acquired Muhammad, the 14th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, in a draft day trade and he'll compete for minutes at shooting guard.
Muhammad entered his freshman season at UCLA with the hype of being one of the top recruits in the nation, but had a an up-and-down season. He averaged 18 points, five rebounds and one assist while shooting 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. He missed three games at the start of the season for taking $1,600 in impermissible benefits, which raised off-court concerns. Those character concerns were magnified when he was was kicked out of the NBA's Rookie Transition Program for bringing a female guest to his hotel room. The T-Wolves threatened to send him to the D-League if he doesn't learn to follow team and league rules as a result. If he can avoid off-court issues, Muhammad could provide offense off the bench as he posses an ability to get to the basket and make shots, especially in transition. However, he looked one dimensional as he wasn't much of a passer or defender and he continued that trend in the NBA summer league. He'll need to score at a very high rate and improve his outside shot to carve out a regular role. However, the T-Wolves are desperate for outside scoring and the swingmen roles are in flux, so he'll have plenty of opportunity.